Audrey seems to see Sean's affection as an impulse of a young man.

This urge will be diluted over time, and she thinks Sean has a better option.

At least in her consciousness, the marriage of the aristocracy has always been the top priority, bloodline, family, social status and wealth must be considered, and her own widowed woman will not bring much help to Sean.

She didn't think that Sean's future should be limited to Genoa, and the Holy City was where Sean should play his talents.

But her ambiguous relationship with Sean has already spread throughout Poitou's circles, which makes her ashamed and makes her more and more afraid to participate in social interactions.

Yes, she is a strong woman, she can face the difficulties of maintaining the family business alone and the rejection from within the family, and she can also endure the loneliness of her love life, but she cannot bear the moral and ethical accusations.

However, when the Countess of Corval returned to Poitou from the Holy City, Audrey had to pay her a visit.

If the Robinson family is the rich in Genoa, then the Corvar family is hugely rich, in addition to owning a large amount of land in Genoa, they also have a sizable ocean-going fleet, control most of Poitou's foreign trade, and at the same time the family actively invests in new industries in the north.

Not only that, but the Count of Corvar was also a member of the Council of Nobles and represented the voice of the Genoese people, so the family was recognized as the number one in Genoa.

Count Koval's wife, who is fifty-two years old this year, is no longer young, although she is well maintained, her hair has grayed, but the luxury on her body is not comparable to others.

As a countess, her status in the holy city, where there are so many nobles, is only ordinary, but in Genoa, she is surrounded and flattered by everyone.

In fact, the countess was also Audrey's cousin, and if one studies the marriages of the aristocracy, they tend to intermarry within the circle, with blood and family first, and wealth second.

Obviously, this ethos has been challenged, and the countess's sons, with the exception of the eldest son, who married the daughter of a count in Gyeonggi, were all married to the daughters of bankers or wealthy merchants.

Lately, Count Koval, who was far away in the Holy City, has frequently written to the celebrities of his hometown, asking and exchanging views on important matters. And the Countess returned to her hometown thousands of miles under the pretext of saving her family, and her purpose was intriguing, especially when the Estates-General of Genoa was about to take place.

The Countess of Koval had a long journey, but the next day she held a salon in which she invited the ladies of Poitou to her estate to admire and taste the most popular styles of clothing and several pieces of jewelry in the Holy City.

Audrey is at the top of the list of invitees.

Whether in terms of intimacy or status, in a circle of noble ladies, Audrey sat next to the countess.

While admiring the performances of well-known artists, the ladies maintained an elegant posture, secretly comparing the elaborate and luxurious degree of their evening dresses and headdresses, and even comparing their demeanor when speaking and the posture of sitting, and if someone showed an inappropriate manner, it would attract a burst of whispering and whispering ridicule.

Audrey completely compares them to them, and her beauty and youth are not comparable to them. Although she did not wear extravagant jewelry, she sat there with a graceful and luxurious temperament.

The only thing that can overpower Audrey is their marriage, at least they are the ones who have husbands.

"It's a pity that I didn't see Viscount Connelly, who was young, rich, and respectable. If the Countess has a daughter, let him be your son-in-law. "Someone deliberately approached the Countess.

Everyone's eyes involuntarily looked at Audrey, Audrey's expression remained unchanged, and she just said lightly: "It's a pity." ”

The countess really didn't know about the ambiguous relationship between Sean and Audrey, she just swept away the teasing expressions of the ladies and looked at Audrey next to her, she was old and sophisticated, and reacted instantly.

This kind of thing is all too common in high society.

When she left the Holy City, her husband had told her to keep an eye on Viscount Connelly.

Count Koval thinks that this "lucky nobleman" is definitely worth paying attention to, because when Sean was not a nobleman, the reputation of genius spread in the Holy City, and now he has become an important nobleman in Genoa.

Sean's name has even appeared regularly in some important reports lately. Sometimes, it even embarrassed Count Koval because he didn't know anything about Sean when the name was mentioned.

But because Sean was too "lucky" and the time of his rise was too short, Count Koval had no friendship with this rising star, and he didn't know each other, so it was inconvenient to write directly to Sean.

"The name of Viscount Connery, an old woman of mine has also heard. "This is a hero and a scholar, and it is very rare to hear that he is also the rector of our University of Poitou." ”

"He's still rich. Someone added. Perhaps for some people, especially those noble ladies who are actually financially constrained on the surface, this is the most important thing.

"Yes, this tea drink is now popular all over the empire. The Countess pointed to the teacup in front of her, "I dare not imagine that if such a salon or banquet were lacking in the host's house, it would be considered rude and negligent. This drink must have brought us the young viscount a great fortune. And this industry is an elegant one, and "La Traviata" has become the most popular repertoire of the Holy City Opera House. Ironically, when someone approached my husband and asked if he could transfer some fine tea, you can imagine his dazed expression. ”

"Huh. The ladies smiled cooperatively.

They use delicate sandalwood fans to cover their mouths, and the volume of their voices is kept at the right level, so that they will not be rude and noisy because they are too loud, nor will they be embarrassed and bored by their hosts because they are too small.

The countess's words greatly diverted the guests' attention from Audrey. But the Countess added:

"I've heard in the Holy City that there are quite a few noble families who are interested in marrying Viscount Connelly. It is said that ......"

The countess cleared her throat: "It's just that it has not been confirmed, so you must not spread it." Princess Elizabeth is twenty years old this year, an age that makes Her Majesty and the Queen, who dote on her, a little anxious, and His Royal Highness Philip, the second prince, privately mentions a name, the owner of which is also a member of the Royal Society of Science, and His Royal Highness is the honorary president of the society. ”

The ladies exclaimed in a low voice, this was explosive news.

Although the countess said it very cautiously, it was revealed that it was true news.

They couldn't help but blush at Viscount Connery's luck, and at the same time cast Audrey's sympathetic gaze. These people's emotions and opinions change too quickly.

Audrey remained unmoved, and as for what she was thinking, no one else could tell from her face. As a member of the circle of noble ladies of high society, she learned the skills to control her emotions as a girl.

"Countess Robinson, if this news is true, do you think Viscount Connelly has accepted the favor of the royal family?" someone asked deliberately defiantly, seeing that Audrey still maintained an impeccable posture.

"First of all, I am not Viscount Connelly and cannot speak for him. But if you had to guess, as far as I know, Viscount Connelly would probably not accept it, because the royal authority would make him feel constrained. As everyone knows, he is not a traditional aristocrat, he is a very talented man, and he is a man who is actually arrogant, and he probably does not want to build his success on other foundations. "Of course, that's just my opinion. ”

"He must be a fool if he thinks so, this is royalty. Audrey's words caused most people to object.

She just smiled and didn't excuse herself.

To be honest, what she just said was not what she really thought in her heart, according to normal rules, marrying a princess is the dream of every nobleman, especially since this princess is the only princess of the emperor, and she is extremely favored.

But out of rebellious psychology, she still gave the opposite answer against her will. This change finally made her feel scared, and unconsciously, she found Sean's figure quietly stopping in her heart.

The salon was carried out according to its own procedures, and the ladies admired and tasted the finest garments from the Holy City, as well as the fine jewels, and each valued the new objects while admiring the vision and taste of the Countess of Koval.

Everything has a price.

The salon ends in the dark of night. Countess Koval left Audrey behind, and the Countess took advantage of the break between the party to quietly inquire about the rumors about Audrey and Sean.

"Audrey, how have you been all these years?" the countess took Audrey's arm.

"Auntie, I'm fine, thank you for your concern. Audrey said.

But she actually still has complaints about her aunt and Count Kovar, who should have been cared for by Count Koval when her husband went to the Holy City, but recently confirmed that her husband had died of poisoning, which is an unforgivable disappointment.

If it weren't for Sean, this terrible event would not have come to light at all, and could only be attributed to God's occasional negligence, not to the wickedness and machinations of careerists.

"Viscount Connelly is our rising star in Genoa, and his rise to prominence is astonishing. And he himself showed a talent commensurate with this. You may not know that both the crown prince and the second prince have praised him at the same time, and this is a huge opportunity for him. The Countess said earnestly, "I have said this, and you must think carefully about it." ”

The countess's words made Audrey's face change, as if she had become a sinner.